SEMINAR

ON
ANTIMATTER
INTRODUCTION

 Antimatter is real.
 Energy density of
chemical reaction×is 1×10 J/kg.
nuclear fission is 8×10 J/kg.
nuclear fusion is 3×10 J/kg.
matter antimatter reaction is 9×1016 J/kg.
 Highest energy release per unit mass.
 Complete conversion of mass into energy.
WHAT IS MATTER?

 Everything around us.

 Basic components:
electrons.
protons.
neutrons.
WHAT IS ANTIMATTER?

 Opposite of normal matter.

 Basic components are:

positrons.
antiprotons.
antineutrons.
HISTORY OF ANTIMATTER.

 In 1928,Paul A.M.Dirac revised Einstein’s

famous equation E=mc².
 Dirac’s equation E=±mc².
 Positrons discovered by Carl Anderson in
1932.
 Antiprotons discovered in 1955.
 Antiatoms discovered in 1995 by CERN.
PRODUCTION OF ANTIMATTER.

 Created from energy.

 Protons are smashed into target.
 Matter-antimatter particles are spontaneously
created.
 Antiproton head towards the Antiproton
Decelerator.
ANTIPROTON DECCELERATOR (AD)

 It consists of
vacuum tubes.
vacuum pumps.
magnets.
radiofrequency cavities.
high voltage instruments.
electronic circuits.
WORKING OF AD.

 Antiproton have
energy spread.
transverse oscillations.
 Focusing magnets.
 Radiofrequency cavities decelerate the
antiproton.
AD EXPERIMENTS.

 ASACUSA (Atomic Spectroscopy And Collision

Using Slow Antiprotons).
 ATHENA (Antihydrogen Production and
Precision Experiments).
 ATRAP (Cold Anti hydrogen for precise laser
Spectroscopy).
STORAGE.

 Traps.
 Appropriate
configuration of
electric and
magnetic fields.
 Good vacuum.
ANTIMATTER IN PROPULSION
SYSTEM

 Annihilation.

 Newtonian rocket.

 100 milligram for Space Shuttle.

ANTIMATTER PROPULSION
SYSTEMS.

 Two choice of propulsion

1)Electron-positron annihilation.
produces high energy gamma rays.
impossible to control.
very dangerous.
2)Proton-antiproton annihilation.
produces charged particles.
mass left over after annihilation.
1)SOLID CORE.

 Solid core heat exchanger.

 Superheats hydrogen propellants.

 Specific impulse:1000sec
2)GAS CORE.

 Annihilation occurs in hydrogen propellant.

 Particles controlled in magnetic field.

 Loss in the form of gamma rays.

 Specific impulse:2500sec
3)PLASMA CORE.

 Annihilation of larger amount of antimatter.

 Loss in the form of gamma rays.

 Plasma is expelled to produce thrust.

 Specific impulse between 5000 to 10000sec.

4)BEAM CORE.

 Direct one to one

annihilation.

 Used directly as the

exhausted propellant.

 Specific
impulse:10,000,000sec
POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY
(PET) SCAN.

 Positron incorporated in a special fluid

injected into the patient.
 Annihilate with electrons.
 Energy emerges as gamma rays.
 PET radiograph reveals inner structure.
 Widely used in brain scans.
ANTIMATTER DETONATION.

 Output highly depends on regular matter

surrounding the bomb.
 Gamma rays are absorbed.
 Lose half their energy per 500 to 1000m of air
compared to 20cm of concrete.
 Explosion would not cause much physical
damage.
 No practical or destructive as conventional
nuclear weapons.
ANTIMATTER IN NATURE.

 Matter & antimatter were created in gigantic

Big Bang.

 Two possibilities:
1. Either antimatter completely disappeared.
2. Separated from each other.
ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER

 High energy particle

detector.

 Carried on Space
Shuttle.

 In 2004,a new version of

experiment installed on
the International Space
Station.
PROBLEMS IN PRODUCTION.

 Only 1 to 10 nano grams produced a year.

 Most expensive substance on earth.

1 gram cost about $62.5 trillion.

 So not economical using current technology.

PROBLEMS IN STORAGE.

 Current trap can only store 1010 antiproton for

one week.

 Next stage an improvement to 1012 antiproton

storage.

 For complete antimatter propulsion, 1020

antiprotons needed to be stored.
CONCLUSION

 Due to the highest energy release per unit

mass of any known reaction we can say that
antimatter will be a future fuel but need a
reliable method of producing large amount of
it.
THANK YOU..